Inflatable goal post

ABSTRACT

An inflatable goal post includes interconnected hollow inflatable members formed with a flexible material where some of the inflatable members form side posts and a crossbar. A blower provides continuous positive air pressure into the hollow structure formed by the inflatable members. The dimensions of the inflatable goal post allow for training and game play. For example, the height of the crossbar is between  9  feet and  11  feet and the distance between the side posts is between  14  feet and  24  feet.

FIELD

This invention generally relates to inflatable goal posts and moreparticularly to inflatable goal posts having regulation sized opening.

BACKGROUND

Football is a sport that is played on a field that includes goal postsat each end of the field. The goal posts are typically constructed fromfiberglass, aluminum, or steel and include a crossbar connected betweentwo side posts. The crossbar is suspended parallel to the ground and thetwo side posts extend upward from the ends of the crossbar. Points arescored by kicking the football over the crossbar and between the sideposts. The dimensions of the goal posts are set by the rules for eachlevel of play. Dimensions set by the National Football League (NFL)National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the CanadianFootball League (CFL) place the crossbar at 10 feet high and separatethe side posts by 18 feet, 6 inches. High school rules dictate the sameheight but are wider at 23 feet, 4 inches wide.

SUMMARY

An inflatable goal post includes interconnected hollow inflatablemembers formed with a flexible material where some of the inflatablemembers form side posts and a crossbar. A blower provides continuouspositive air pressure into the hollow structure formed by the inflatablemembers. The dimensions of the inflatable goal post allow for trainingand game play. For example, the height of the crossbar is between 9 feetand 11 feet and the distance between the side posts is between 14 feetand 24 feet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an illustration of a perspective view of an inflatable goalpost structure in accordance with one example.

FIG. 1B is an illustration of a top view of an inflatable goal poststructure in accordance with the example.

FIG. 1C is an illustration of a top view of a portion of the inflatablegoal post structure in accordance with the example.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of a top view of the inflatable goal poststructure connected to a blower.

FIG. 2B is an illustration of a cross sectional front view taken alongline A-A in FIG. 2A of the inflatable goal post structure connected tothe blower.

FIG. 2C is a cross sectional top view taken along line B-B of FIG. 2B ofthe inflatable goal post structure connected to the blower.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Football goal posts are often needed at game fields or practice areaswhere permanent goal posts are not present. The inflatable goal postdevice provides a portable goal post for practices and games wherepermanent goal posts are unavailable. When an inflatable goal poststructure is connected to a blower and fully inflated, a crossbar memberconnected between a left post member and right post member form a goalarea such that the cross bar is positioned at a height above the groundthat is at least in the vicinity of a regulation height. Also, thedistance between the side posts is at least similar to a regulationwidth. Accordingly, the inflatable goal post structure has dimensions inaccordance with regulation dimensions. In some implementations, thecrossbar height is equal to the regulation height of 10 feet while thedistance between the goal post members is less than regulation widths.Such dimensions encourage more accurate kicking during training.Additional sturdiness may also be achieved with a narrower width.

FIG. 1A is an illustration of a perspective view and FIG. 1B is anillustration of a top view of an inflatable goal post structure 100 inaccordance with one example. FIG. 1C is an illustration of a top view ofa portion of the inflatable goal post structure 100 in accordance withthe example. Although the figures generally represent the features ofthe goal post structure 100, the figures are not necessarily to scale.

The inflatable goal post structure 100 includes several cylindrical ortubular members formed from a flexible material such as vinyl coatedpolyester. An example of a suitable thickness for the material is athickness weight in the range between 12 and 24 ounces. The material forthe examples discussed herein has a weight of 14 to 18 ounces. Thehollow members are interconnected such that members form an airtight, ornearly airtight, structure having a unified interior volume. Thestructure 100, therefore, includes several connected flexible tubes thatfacilitate airflow between the members. Sections of the flexiblematerial are sewn to each other to form the structure in a shape of agoal post. Other techniques can be used to connect the sections ofmaterial. For example, the material may be bonded, glued, and/or stapledin some situations. In the examples discussed herein, the flexiblemembers are formed by sewing sheets of the flexible material to formtubular sections. The tubular sections are connected to each other tocreate the structure. In some situations, the flexible material may besealed by heat sealing. Sealing the seams and connections between thesections minimizes air loss. In some implementations, as discussedbelow, a blower is connected to the structure during use to createpositive air pressure within the structure which results is expandingthe flexible members to their full size. When the structure 100 is fullyinflated, the position and size of the members result in a goal postshape that resembles a permanent, metal goal post in height and widthalthough the tubular members are larger than components of a metal goalpost. In some situations where the connections and seams are airtight(or nearly airtight) the blower can be removed after the inflatable goalpost is fully inflated.

A goal area 102 is formed by a crossbar member 104, a first post member106 and a second post member 108. The goal area 102 extends betweenlines 110, 112 that extend from the top 114 of the crossbar member 104to an infinite height where the lines 110, 112 extend along theinnermost surfaces of the post members 106, 108. The crossbar 104 andpost members 106, 108 are supported above a base 116 by at least oneextension member 118, 120. For the examples discussed herein, the base116 is connected by a first extension member 118 and a second extensionmember 120 where the first extension member 118 is directly below thefirst post member 106 and the second extension member 120 is directlybelow the second post member 108. In some situations, additionalextension members may be included for additional support and strength.In the example, the extension members 118, 120 have a diameter that isslightly larger than the post members 106, 108. Such a structureincreases sturdiness and strength in many situations.

The base 116 includes any combination of members that maintain thecrossbar 104 and side post members 106, 118 in the appropriate positionduring use when the structure is inflated. The lower surface of the base116 is disposed in a plane that contacts the ground when the goal poststructure 100 is in use. For the example of FIG. 1, the extensionmembers 118, 120 are connected to a base lateral member 122 that extendsat least between the two extension members 118, 120 but preferablyextends past the outer edges of the extension members 118, 120. For theexamples herein, the base lateral member 122 extends past the outermostedges of the lateral members by 59 inches. The base 116 in the examplealso includes base cross members 124, 126, 128, 130 that extend from,and are perpendicular to, a line extending between the two extensionmembers 118, 120 and parallel to the ground during use.

As indicated in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, and FIG. 1C, the distance between theside post members 106, 108 forms a width (W) 132 of the goal area 102and the top of the crossbar member is at a height (H_(CB)) from theground such that the bottom of the goal area 102 is the height (H_(CB)).The distance from the tops of side post members 106, 108 to the groundis the total height (H_(T)) of the structure 100. As mentioned above,the dimensions of the structure 100 are selected to provide a goal area102 similar to the goal area provided by conventional regulation goalposts. Such a structure can be used for competition and training.Although in some situations the goal post structure is built to conformto one of the regulation sizes, the structure 100 may have dimensionsthat differ from regulation dimensions. For example, the width (W) 132may be selected to be narrower than a regulation width in order toencourage more accurate kicking during training. The ranges of possibledimensions include a width (W) 132 between 10 and 24 feet and a height(H_(CB)) between 8 and 12 feet. A more typical height (H_(CB)) range isbetween 9 and 11 feet. In most situations, however, the height range is9.5 to 10.5 feet with a preferred height near or at 10 feet. Animplementation in accordance with the National Football League (NFL),the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the CanadianFootball League (CFL) regulations includes a width in the range of 16 to20 feet where a more preferable range may be between 18 and 19 feet. Astill more preferable range for the width (W) 132 for NFL regulationsincludes a range of 18 feet 4 inches to 18 feet, 8 inches or a widthnear or at 18 feet 6 inches.

For implementations intended for training or other purposes, the width(W) 132 may be in the range of 15 feet to 17 feet. In one example, thewidth is at or near 16 feet.

Although the total height (H_(T)) 136 may be similar to regulation goalposts, in most situations the total height (H_(T)) 136 will be shorterthan metal goal posts. Since the goal area 102 extends to an infiniteheight, it is not critical to provide long side posts. On the contrary,minimizing the total height (H_(T)) 136 allows for generally smallerdimension of the base 116 and other members and increasing stability andsturdiness without significantly altering the goal area 102. An exampleof a suitable total height is 23 feet.

As also indicated in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, and FIG. 1C, the base latermember 122 has a thickness (T_(LB)) 138, the base cross members 124,126, 128, 130 have a thickness (T_(CM)) 140, the extension members 118,120 have a thickness (T_(EM)) 142, the side post members 106, 108 have athickness (T_(SP)) 144, and the crossbar member 104 has a thickness(T_(CB)) 146. Since the members are tubular in the example, thethickness of each member is essentially the outer diameter of the memberwhen inflated. The dimensions of the flexible members are selected tomaximize sturdiness and stability while minimizing size. Accordingly,the diameters of the members are selected to be the smallest diametersthat still allow the structure to be self supporting and be maintainedin the appropriate shape when inflated. The thickness of the members maydepend on the other dimensions of the structure 100 and may includenumerous dimensions and combinations. Accordingly, the followingdiscussion is directed to dimensions that can be used in an examplewhere the width is within a range of 15 to 18.5 feet and the height isnear 10 feet with the range of 9 to 12 feet. The thickness and length ofsome or all of the members may need to be adjusted for other widths (W)and heights (H).

Although various dimensions may be used, a suitable thickness (T_(LB))138 of the base lateral member is 32 inches where the width is between15 and 18.5 feet and the height is between 8 and 12 feet. In theexample, the base cross members 124, 126, 128, 130 have a thickness(T_(CM)) 140 of 25 inches, the extension members 118, 120 have athickness (T_(EM)) 142 of 25 inches, the side post members 106, 108 havea thickness (T_(SP)) 144 of 19 inches, and the crossbar member 104 has athickness (T_(CB)) 146 of 17 inches.

The dimensions of the base 116 are selected in accordance with the otherdimensions of the structure. Accordingly, the base lateral member length(L_(LB)) 148 and the base cross member lengths (L_(CM)) are selected tomaintain adequate stability and sturdiness during use based on the totalheight, width, and crossbar height. As the width and heights areincreased, the dimensions of the base 116 may need to be increased.

In the example, the base lateral member 122 has a length that is greaterthan a distance between the outer edges of the extension members inorder to increase stability of the structure during use. An example of asuitable length (L_(LB)) 148 of the base lateral member 122 is 30 feet,10 inches when the width (W) 132 is between 15 and 18 feet. Insituations where the width (W) 132 is greater than 18 feet, the baselateral member 122 may have a greater length. An example of suitablelengths (L_(CM)) of the base cross members 124, 126, 128, 130 is 58inches. The length (L_(CM)) of the base cross members may be adjusted inaccordance with the other dimensions of the structure.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of a top view of the inflatable goal poststructure 100 connected to a blower 200. FIG. 2B is an illustration of across sectional front view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2A of theinflatable goal post structure 100 connected to the blower 200. FIG. 2Cis a cross sectional top view taken along line B-B of FIG. 2B of theinflatable goal post structure 100 connected to the blower 200. Althoughthe figures generally represent the features of the goal post structure100, the figures are not necessarily to scale.

The blower 200 may be any of commercially available blowers used forinflating inflatable play structures. Examples of blowers suitable foruse with the inflatable goal post structure 100 are blowers availablefrom the B-Air Blowers company in Azusa, Calif. The blower 200 connectsto the inflatable goal post structure 100 through a blower interface202. The blower interface 202 may be located at any one of severallocations along the structure. An example of a suitable location is aposition along the base 116 that places the blower behind the structure100 during use of the structure such that poorly kicked balls are lesslikely to hit the blower. Accordingly, the blower interface 202 may beconnected anywhere along to the base lateral member 120. The blowerinterface 202 may be simply an opening for accepting the output of theblower or may include additional features such as flaps, sections ofmaterial, or fasteners such as hook and loop connectors.

The blower 200 moves air from the exterior to the interior of the goalpost structure to create a positive air pressure within the structure.The structure is inflated as the air is pumped into the structure 100.After the structure is inflated and the structure is formed into theintended goal post shape, the blower continues to provide a positive airpressure relative to the exterior of the structure 100 to maintain thestructure in the intended shape. With adequate air pressure, theflexible members are firm, sturdy, and are positioned to provide aconsistent goal area 102 at the appropriate height, width, and position.

Each member of the structure 100 has an interior separated from ambientair by the material forming the structure 100. Accordingly, the crossbarmember 104 has an interior 204, the first side post member 106 has aninterior 206, the second side post member 108 has an interior 208, thefirst extension member 118 has an interior 210, the second extensionmember 120 has an interior 212, the base lateral member 122 has aninterior 214, and each of the base cross members 124, 126, 128, 130 hasa corresponding interior 216, 218, 220, 222. The interiors 204, 206,208, 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 220, 222 are connected to each other toform a unified interior 224 of the inflatable goal post structure 100.The dashed arrows in FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C represent airflow within thestructure 100. The air flows in through the blower interface and intothe interiors 204-222 to fill the unified interior 224. After thestructure 100 is inflated, air may still flow through the members due toslight leakage of air through seams and other small openings. The blower200 should provide adequate airflow to overcome any leakage and maintainthe goal post structure in the appropriate shape.

As mentioned above, the blower may be removed after inflation insituations where air leakage from the inflatable goal post is minimized.Such a situation may be possible where the seams and connections areformed by heat sealing the inflatable goal post such that the goal postdoes not include any holes or other openings that allow air to escape.

The inflatable goal post may be modified and/or additional features maybe added. For example, flags, streamers, or other devices may be addedto the tops of the side posts to provide an indication of wind directionand strength to the kicker.

Clearly, other embodiments and modifications of this invention willoccur readily to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of theseteachings. The above description is illustrative and not restrictive.This invention is to be limited only by the following claims, whichinclude all such embodiments and modifications when viewed inconjunction with the above specification and accompanying drawings. Thescope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not withreference to the above description, but instead should be determinedwith reference to the appended claims along with their full scope ofequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An inflatable goal post structure comprising: afirst inflatable side post member; a second inflatable side post member;an inflatable cross bar member connected between the first inflatableside post member and the second inflatable side post member; aninflatable base; and at least one inflatable extension member connectedbetween the base and the inflatable crossbar member; the inflatable goalpost structure having a unified interior formed by interiors of thefirst inflatable side post member, second inflatable side post member,the inflatable cross bar member, the inflatable base, and the at leastone inflatable extension member, the inflatable goal post structureconfigured such that, when an interior air pressure within the unifiedinterior is greater than an exterior air pressure and a plane of theinflatable base is positioned parallel to the ground: the goal postmembers extend perpendicular to the plane and are separated by a widthbetween 15 and 24 feet; and the inflatable crossbar member is parallelto the plane and has a top that is at a height between 9 and 11 feetfrom the ground.
 2. The inflatable goal post structure of claim 1,further comprising a blower port configured to connect to a blower forproviding positive air pressure within the unified interior.
 3. Theinflatable goal post structure of claim 1, wherein the at least oneinflatable extension member comprises: a first inflatable extensionmember positioned between the first inflatable post member and theinflatable base; and a second inflatable extension member positionedbetween the second inflatable post member and the inflatable base. 4.The inflatable goal post structure of claim 1, wherein the inflatablegoal post structure is further configured such that, when the interiorair pressure within the unified interior is greater than the exteriorair pressure and the plane of the inflatable base is positioned parallelto the ground: the inflatable goal post members are separated by a widthbetween 16 and 23.5 feet; and the top of the inflatable crossbar memberis at a height between 9.5 and 10.5 feet from the ground.
 5. Theinflatable goal post structure of claim 4, wherein the inflatable goalpost structure is further configured such that, when the interior airpressure within the unified interior is greater than the exterior airpressure and the plane of the inflatable base is positioned parallel tothe ground, the top of the inflatable crossbar member is at a height of10 feet from the ground.
 6. The inflatable goal post structure of claim4, wherein the inflatable goal post structure is further configured suchthat, when the interior air pressure within the unified interior isgreater than the exterior air pressure and the plane of the inflatablebase is positioned parallel to the ground: the inflatable goal postmembers are separated by a width of 16 feet; and the top of theinflatable crossbar member is at a height between 9.5 and 10.5 feet fromthe ground.
 7. The inflatable goal post structure of claim 4, whereinthe inflatable goal post structure is further configured such that, whenthe interior air pressure within the unified interior is greater thanthe exterior air pressure and the plane of the inflatable base ispositioned parallel to the ground: the inflatable goal post members areseparated by a width of 16 feet; and the top of the inflatable crossbarmember is at a height of 10 feet from the ground.
 8. The inflatable goalpost structure of claim 4, wherein the inflatable goal post structure isfurther configured such that, when the interior air pressure within theunified interior is greater than the exterior air pressure and the planeof the inflatable base is positioned parallel to the ground: theinflatable goal post members are separated by a width of 18.5 feet; andthe top of the inflatable crossbar member is at a height of 10 feet fromthe ground.
 9. The inflatable goal post structure of claim 4, whereinthe inflatable goal post structure is further configured such that, whenthe interior air pressure within the unified interior is greater thanthe exterior air pressure and the plane of the inflatable base ispositioned parallel to the ground: the inflatable goal post members areseparated by a width of 23 feet, 4 inches; and the top of the inflatablecrossbar member is at a height of 10 feet from the ground.
 10. Aninflatable goal post system comprising: a blower; an inflatable goalpost comprising: a first inflatable side post member; a secondinflatable side post member; an inflatable cross bar member connectedbetween the first inflatable side post member and the second inflatableside post member; an inflatable base; at least one inflatable extensionmember connected between the base and the inflatable crossbar member;and a blower port configured to connect to a blower for providingpositive air pressure within the unified interior; the inflatable goalpost structure having a unified interior formed by interiors of thefirst inflatable side post member, second inflatable side post member,the inflatable cross bar member, the inflatable base, and the at leastone inflatable extension member, the inflatable goal post structureconfigured such that, when an interior air pressure within the unifiedinterior is greater than an exterior air pressure and a plane of theinflatable base is positioned parallel to the ground: the goal postmembers extend perpendicular to the plane and are separated by a widthbetween 15 and 24 feet; and the inflatable crossbar member is parallelto the plane and has a top that is at a height between 9 and 11 feetfrom the ground.
 11. The inflatable goal post system of claim 10,wherein the at least one inflatable extension member comprises: a firstinflatable extension member positioned between the first inflatable postmember and the inflatable base; and a second inflatable extension memberpositioned between the second inflatable post member and the inflatablebase.
 12. The inflatable goal post system of claim 1, wherein theinflatable goal post structure is further configured such that, when theinterior air pressure within the unified interior is greater than theexterior air pressure and the plane of the inflatable base is positionedparallel to the ground: the inflatable goal post members are separatedby a width between 16 and 23.5 feet; and the top of the inflatablecrossbar member is at a height between 9.5 and 10.5 feet from theground.
 13. The inflatable goal post system of claim 12, wherein theinflatable goal post structure is further configured such that, when theinterior air pressure within the unified interior is greater than theexterior air pressure and the plane of the inflatable base is positionedparallel to the ground, the top of the inflatable crossbar member is ata height of 10 feet from the ground.
 14. The inflatable goal post systemof claim 12, wherein the inflatable goal post structure is furtherconfigured such that, when the interior air pressure within the unifiedinterior is greater than the exterior air pressure and the plane of theinflatable base is positioned parallel to the ground: the inflatablegoal post members are separated by a width of 16 feet; and the top ofthe inflatable crossbar member is at a height between 9.5 and 10.5 feetfrom the ground.
 15. The inflatable goal post system of claim 12,wherein the inflatable goal post structure is further configured suchthat, when the interior air pressure within the unified interior isgreater than the exterior air pressure and the plane of the inflatablebase is positioned parallel to the ground: the inflatable goal postmembers are separated by a width of 16 feet; and the top of theinflatable crossbar member is at a height of 10 feet from the ground.16. The inflatable goal post system of claim 12, wherein the inflatablegoal post structure is further configured such that, when the interiorair pressure within the unified interior is greater than the exteriorair pressure and the plane of the inflatable base is positioned parallelto the ground: the inflatable goal post members are separated by a widthof 18.5 feet; and the top of the inflatable crossbar member is at aheight of 10 feet from the ground.
 17. The inflatable goal post systemof claim 12, wherein the inflatable goal post structure is furtherconfigured such that, when the interior air pressure within the unifiedinterior is greater than the exterior air pressure and the plane of theinflatable base is positioned parallel to the ground: the inflatablegoal post members are separated by a width of 23 feet, 4 inches; and thetop of the inflatable crossbar member is at a height of 10 feet from theground.